NHTSA Complaint #11130011 — 2008 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID

HEADING WEST ON THE INTERSTATE I TOOK THE OFF RAMP AND CAME TO A STOP. AS I WAS STOPPING A TONE RANG OUT, THE ABS LIGHT, AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. THE BRAKES DIDN'T FEEL AS STIFF AS THEY SHOULD HAVE BUT I DID COME TO A STOP AS I WASN'T TRAVELING VERY FAST WHILE APPROACHING THE STOP SIGN. I TURNED LEFT AND PROCEEDED OVER THE OVERPASS TOWARDS A SIDE ROAD WHEN A CAR THAT HAD COME UP THE OFF RAMP FROM THE EASTBOUND LANE ROLLED THE STOP SIGN AND STOPPED WITH THE NOSE OF THEIR VEHICLE IN MY LANE. I NEARLY PUT THE BRAKE PEDAL THROUGH THE FLOOR AND HAD LITTLE TO NO BRAKES TO STOP ME. I AND MADE A SPLIT SECOND DECISION TO SWERVE AROUND THE CAR, DRIVING IN THE ONCOMING LANE AS I WAS ABLE VERIFY THERE WAS NO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. ONCE I PULLED OVER ON A SIDE ROAD I NOTICED THE DISPLAY IN THE DASH READ "REGEN BRAKE DISABLED" I DROVE SLOWLY TO A SMALL CAR SALES LOT WITH AN AUTO SHOP AND THEY RESEARCHED FOR A FEW MINUTES AND TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE IT TO A DEALER TO REPLACE A HYDRAULIC PUMP. THEY WERE ABLE TO FIX THE ISSUE BY DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY FOR A BIT BUT SAID MORE THAN LIKELY THE FIX WOULDN'T LAST. NEXT STOP IS THE FORD DEALER BUT FROM WHAT I'VE READ TONIGHT, MANY OTHER USERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE AND HAVE BEEN QUOTED OVER HALF THE BOOK VALUE OF THE VEHICLE TO FIX THE ISSUE. I WAS GLAD NOT TO SLAM INTO THE PASSENGER DOOR OF THE LADY WHO PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF ME, I WAS GLAD I HAD A CLEAR LANE TO AVOID HER WITHOUT HAVING A HEAD-ON COLLISION BUT I CAN SEE WHERE THIS ISSUE COULD HAPPEN AT THE WRONG TIME AND PLACE AND CAUSE HARM OR LOSS OF LIFE FOR THOSE INVOLVED. BECAUSE I HAD LITTLE TO NO BRAKES WITH THE PEDAL PUSHED ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR